


Young, Scrappy, and Hungry

by Sacredshepard



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adultery, Cheating, Hamilton Lyrics, Infidelity, Inspired by Hamilton, Lust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:28:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28397694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sacredshepard/pseuds/Sacredshepard
Summary: A handful of one-shots based on songs from Hamilton. Mostly Toph or Lin centric.
Relationships: Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Sokka
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20
Collections: Avatar: The Last Airbender





	Young, Scrappy, and Hungry

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! This will be very sparingly added to. I felt that many lyrics from Hamilton could apply to unique scenarios for the Gaang. I did not copy lyrics directly, nor does each song fit exactly to the scenario at hand. Each chapter was merely inspired by the song itself. I hope you enjoy.

“Say No To This”

There was something particularly beautiful about Republic City during the summer months. Seated on the coast, the sea breeze would rush over the harbor and into the bustling streets as the warmth of the hot sun glowed above. The days were long and the clouds were few. Any clouds that did drift by brought with them a cooling rain which was inevitably followed by the brilliant display of rainbow, it’s arches cascading the length of the city as if to guard over it. The children laughed as they ran through the streets, chasing one another, carrying balls and bats, stopping to sniff the occasional flower or two.

Although the magic of the summer seemed to cast an illusion of perfection, not everyone seemed to partake in the joy. As the warm air of a hot night crept through the open window of his office, Sokka sighed as he gazed longingly outside. Another late night spent cooped up indoors. Though Republic City had been around for several years at this point, there was much to be worked out in its governing process. Sokka was more than happy to be considered a leader of the city as its Southern Water Tribe representative of the council. He relished in the joy he received from watching the fruits of his labor blossom into a functional, lively, successful city that he could now call home. He and his friends had worked tirelessly to see a place of peace and prosperity, and now that he was living in it he couldn’t have been more proud of the work he had done. However, he would be lying if he said he enjoyed the paperwork and documents that came with his title.

Staring at the stacks of forms on the desk before him, he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of stress consume him. The councilman was supposed to have all of these filled and filed within two days, which currently felt like an insurmountable task. He had known of these papers for several weeks now but it seemed that other tasks had gotten the better of him. That, and perhaps a bit of laziness. There were only so many times he could tell himself, ‘Eh, I’ll get to it tomorrow,’ until tomorrow crept up on him.

The last week had been particularly hard for Sokka. It felt like he hadn’t slept since the previous week beforehand, the dark bags under his eyes growing with every passing hour he spent scanning the words in front of him. He reached up to rub his eye and caught a glimpse at the card he kept on the corner of his desk. The front of it was dazzled in a border of red sequins. Two cranes were drawn by hand in the center, their necks bending towards one another so that their heads were pressed together in a loving manner. Suki had sent him the card a year or so ago when she had gone to Kyoshi Island to attend a training event for the new warriors. Her words on the inside detailed her love for him, expressing how she couldn’t wait to see him again.

He wondered if he would be receiving another one soon from her, finding himself longing for her presence. She had left about a month ago to assist a village in the rural Fire Nation after a devastating run by bandits. When she’d left, she told Sokka she would be gone for two or three months, though it could be even longer if she experienced complications.

Sokka and Suki had remained together since they were teenagers back in the war, though they’d experienced the occasional breakup. They had gone through periods where they felt they’d never be able to work it out with one another. Two years ago, Sokka had truly thought they would have ended the relationship for good. A night that ended with her in tears, screaming at him to get out of her apartment, burned bright in Sokka’s memory. He hoped they would never experience such hurt again-- for all the struggling he and Suki had experienced, he truly believed he could never love another woman the way that he loved her.

Pulled suddenly from his thoughts and gaze at the card, Sokka became conscious of a knock on the heavy metal door to his office. The knock was short and kurt, and before Sokka could ask who it was the door was pushed open to reveal none other than Toph Beifong. She looked arguably more tired than Sokka did. Still clad in her metal police uniform, her black hair was pulled into her signature bun, though many strands seemed to have come loose. Her eyes were sunken with dark lines underneath them. The metal on her uniform was scuffed and worn, and Sokka could’ve sworn there was dried blood on one of her hands. Though she looked as if she’d been through hell, he was surprised when she managed a smile and said, “Hey, Snoozles.”

“Toph?” He asked, standing up from his chair. “What brings you here so late?”

“What’s a matter, don’t wanna see me?”

“No no, it’s just--”

“I know, I know, I just felt like stopping by,” she said, walking over to his desk. She plopped herself forcefully down into one of the wooden chairs facing it. Leaning her head back towards the ceiling and sprawling her legs out, she audibly groaned.

Sokka watched her for a minute, perplexed. It wasn’t as if he and Toph didn’t visit each other at work. Toph was one of his absolute best friends, and he knew that she felt the same way about him. Her job was just as hard and taxing as his was, if not even more so. He’d seen her in some pretty rough shape before, similar to how she appeared to him no,. The thing that he was confused by was that she’d never come to see him before just shy of midnight during the middle of a work week. At least, not since Lin had entered the picture five years ago.

“What the hell’s got you here so late?” She asked, smirking slightly as she continued to lounge back in the chair.

“Paperwork. I kinda blew it on this one. I put it off for way too long.”

“Jeez. Thank the spirits I can’t read, otherwise I would have to do all that crap on top of everything else.”

“It’s definitely not my favorite part of this job, that’s for sure.”

She laughed once at him, tossing her head back and running fingers through her bangs.  
Sokka smirked for a second, then asked her, “Is everything alright?”

After a second, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m so sorry to bother you this late,” she said, pulling herself back up into a more civilized seating position. She propped her elbow onto her knee and leaned forward, blowing her dark bangs out of her face. Her glassy eyes gazed off somewhere around Sokka’s frame, though not quite hitting the mark. “I just don’t know where else to go. And I trust you not to tell anyone.”

Sokka pushed his paperwork aside and looked back up at his friend. He saw a sadness in her face that he had failed to notice before-- almost as if her faded green eyes were holding back tears, though he knew better than to bring it up to her. He and Toph had spent many a night dumping their troubles on another. Though the woman was usually very guarded in her emotions, part of her softened up to the Watertribesman. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Her lips twisted for a moment as she chewed on her words. “I just feel so exhausted, Sokka. I feel like everything’s doing me wrong, lately. No matter what I do on the beat, I can’t seem to catch the guys I need to. Every operation seems to come back to bite me and nobody who we need to catch actually gets caught. The guys on the team can be such babies and when I try and push them they don’t want to do it. And then there’s Lin…” She lost her words, closing her eyes and shifting her head so that the heel of her palm drilled into her forehead.

Sokka wrinkled his forehead, leaning forward. “What’s wrong with Lin?”

Toph sighed, putting her chin in her hand again. “Nothing, she’s fine. But it’s just so hard to come home and try to give her the time of day. I’m so frustrated and exhausted with work I feel like I can’t even be there for my kid. I just feel burnt out. I feel like I can’t go on with my life like this.” She closed her eyes once more as she finished, and Tokka could have sworn he saw a tear fall down her cheek.

“Hey, it’s alright, Toph,” he said as he got up to walk around the desk to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay to be overwhelmed. Being a cop isn’t easy, being a chief of police is even harder, and well, trying to raise a kid on top of it all can’t help.”

She sighed and grumbled, “Doesn’t help that her father is one of the assholes I’m trying to track down either.”

Sokka bit his lip. He was one of the few people who knew that Toph had slept with one of her informants back in the day. Though she had not told many people the true nature of Lin’s father’s identity, she had cried it out to him one night when she had felt particularly heartbroken over their split. Finding out she was pregnant not long afterwards had not helped her case either. Though he could not exactly place himself in Toph’s shoes, he hated to see her upset over the man.

He put his other hand on her other shoulder and shook her once, lightly. “I’m sorry you feel down, Toph. But if anyone can figure this all out, I know you can do it. How ‘bout I walk you home? We could have a drink, relax… I could probably use the break too.”

She blinked a couple times, mulling over his words. Her face softened after a few seconds. “You’re too kind.”

Toph’s new place was only about a block away from Sokka’s office. She’d moved there only a couple weeks ago, in search of a bigger apartment that could accommodate herself and her daughter more comfortably. The two walked side by side, Sokka joking about the oddities going on with the other members of the council. Toph laughed as he spoke, seemingly becoming more and more like her typical self. Seeing his friend laugh a bit brought a smile to Sokka’s face. Toph herself couldn’t help but feel a warmth in her cheeks.

At a certain point Toph stopped abruptly. Sokka caught himself just as she gestured to the building on her right. “This one’s mine,” she said, and Sokka followed her as she led them through the narrow hallows to the apartment she shared with Lin.

The apartment was noticeably bigger than her old one and had a much better view of the city skyline. ‘Though,’ Sokka thought to himself, ‘I guess that doesn’t matter to Toph.’ He smiled as he caught sight of some of Lin’s stuffed animals on the floor. A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Where’s Lin? Is she home?”

Toph continued walking ahead of him, metalbending off her armor in one swift movement and dropping it onto her couch. Clad in just her white undershirt, she replied, “At your sister’s. Sleepover with Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi. I knew tonight was gonna be a late one so Katara offered to take her.” She walked into her kitchen and emerged back into the living room holding a bottle of wine in one hand and 2 wine glasses in the other. She poured them each a glass and they sat on the couch, both sighing at the relief to be somewhere comfortable and relaxing.

They talked for hours, the conversation never ceasing. Toph complained about the various criminals she had been up against and the incompetencies of her staff while Sokka vented about the impossibility of getting the council to agree on virtually anything. Before they knew it, they’d finished the bottle and were cracking up jokes to each other. They relished in the memories of their youth, laughing about the various adventures they’d gotten into as kids. At one point Sokka stood up and imitated one of the scenes from The Ember Island Players’ The Boy in the Iceberg, and Toph’s stomach hurt from laughing so much. The two both realized that they had not been this happy in a long time-- the stress from their jobs seemingly melting away with every chuckle and sip of wine that was had.

After one excessive fit of laughter concerning the cabbage merchant they’d frequently crossed paths with, the two sat in silence for a moment. They were both on the rather large couch though they sat only inches from one another. Sokka could have sworn they’d started off the night on opposite ends, but it seemed in all their fun that night they’d come closer together both mentally and physically.

Sokka stood up then as he stretched and placed his wine glass on the coffee table in front of them, next to the bottle that had long been emptied. “Well,” he said with a yawn, “I should head back home.”

He was surprised when he felt a hand grip his wrist. He turned and looked at Toph, whose hands were now clinging to his wrist as her previous troubled expression from earlier in the night crossed her face once more. Something about her looked almost fragile to Sokka. As if she were helpless, which he knew could not be farther from the truth.

“Stay?” she asked, as she slowly stood up, one hand lingering gently on his wrist and the other reaching up to cup his cheek. Sokka was no stranger to Toph’s touch, nor was anyone else in their friend group. She had once asked them long ago if she could “see” their faces by feeling their features, and since then she’d done so every few years to each of them. But this touch was different. It was gentle and soft, filled with a sort of longing that he’d never felt from her. Gazing at her face, he couldn’t help but notice a beauty there that he had not previously seen. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he suddenly came to the realization just how pretty Toph was, even when she appeared to be upset. Her hair was down now, flowing past her shoulders in waves of black, her bangs still clinging to her face. Her lips shone light pink and Sokka noticed a blush in her cheeks, giving a rosy glow to the pale of her face. Her eyes, though faded, held a sort of mystery to them. As if they guarded the gateway to her soul, and try as he might, Sokka couldn’t quite make out what she wanted in this moment.

He stared at her, feeling his own cheeks grow red, unsure of what to say. He’d never spent the night at her place, but seeing her right now, seeing her beauty and how helpless she suddenly appeared… well, he was considering it. After all, he and Toph were just friends. She just needed a friend right now, right? That was it.

“I don’t want to be alone tonight. I already feel so alone,” she elaborated. The hand around Sokka’s wrist now lowered to his hand, holding it in hers. The one on his cheek lingered as she rubbed it slightly up and down, feeling the stubble underneath her finger tips.

Toph had never fully recovered from her childhood crush on her friend. Though it had been years since she had first had feelings for him, some part of her had always wondered what could have been of them if he and Suki had split apart. When years had gone by and Suki and Sokka were still more or less going strong, she had forced herself to move on. She had actually developed feelings for Kanto when they’d had a thing. While she was with him, she felt like she’d finally come to a place where Sokka wasn’t a constant afterthought in her mind. However, when Kanto had broken her heart and Sokka had been there to help pick up the pieces, she had felt the all-too familiar feelings of longing come back once again. She couldn’t help but catch herself thinking ‘What if?’ whenever she was forced to be in his vicinity during meetings.

And she was now intoxicated, tired, and so close to the man she had yearned for for so long. She knew he and Suki were together. She knew Suki was only away for a few months before she’d return to the city for the man she loved. But some voice in the back of Toph’s head nagged at her-- all things aside, would he be into her? Does some part of him secretly want her, too? It was wrong to try and flirt with a man who was in a relationship, she fully understood that. But she wanted him so badly. And he was right here, right now, so close. She’d never been great with judgement and she’d always been a little selfish. Perhaps she could press her luck just a little further.

“I--I could stay. I don’t want you to feel like you’re alone, Toph. I hope you know that you never are,” he said as he reached up and placed the hand she wasn’t holding on his shoulder. His heart rate picked up as she took a step closer to him and he was surprised when a feeling of desire came over him. ‘Sokka, you have to say no,’ he told himself, ‘this is wrong. You know this is wrong.’

“I just miss you, Sokka. It’s not the same when we’re always working,” she said softer, their bodies now extremely close together. For a moment they stood in silence, their bodies touching, their lust for one another climbing to greater heights. ‘Say no to her, Sokka,’ he told himself once more. But before he had a chance to retreat from her, Toph reached her other hand up to Sokka’s face and pulled him to her, her lips reaching his. She kissed him slowly, longingly, as if she’d wished for this moment for years (and unbeknownst to Sokka, was exactly the case). For a second Sokka’s eyes grew wide in a state of shock at what events were unfolding. But he found that he, too, seemed to have ached for this moment. He found himself loving the feeling of her mouth on his, and the two shared several passionate kisses as they stood in her living room wrapped up in each other’s presence. His arms wrapped around her waist as he tilted her back, her fingers meanwhile combing through his hair. As they enveloped one another in their arms, he found that he never once was able to tell himself no. Before he knew it, they had made their way to her bedroom. When she pulled him into bed with her, Sokka only thought of Suki briefly, before the power of the woman before him pushed the thought from his mind.

\-------------------------------

A month had passed since Sokka had first hooked up with Toph, and although he wished he could have said it was a one-time thing he’d ended up spending several nights a week at her place. Their sex was raw and rough, much different than what he and Suki would do together. He found a part of himself was newly energized since he’d begun this affair, finishing his work in the office much faster than usual. Every once in a while the gut feeling of guilt would eat at his insides, knowing that he would absolutely break Suki if she ever were to find out. Yet he still couldn’t bring himself to say no to Toph.

Toph, too, found herself ecstatic and in better spirits than she’d been in years. She couldn’t believe her luck that the person whom she’d wanted more than anything to want her had suddenly returned the feeling. Every once in a while she’d think of Suki, and how she’d be absolutely destroyed if she knew what was happening. A wave of shame washed over her but she would quickly cast it aside. She was too much in need of Sokka’s attention for the sake of Suki’s well-being. If Suki never knew, why would it matter?

One morning, Sokka whistled as he walked into Town Hall. He waved to his secretary, Bo, as he entered the space to his office. Bo smiled warmly at him, saying, “Morning, Councilman! You look happy.” Sokka laughed and said back to her, “Livin’ the dream, Bo.”

He started whistling once more as he walked around to his desk, dropping his bag down on the floor beside his chair. He looked down at his desk to assess how many forms he had to complete before noon, when immediately he noticed a small, faded yellow envelope sitting on top of the pile of papers. Cocking his head in curiosity, he stopped whistling and picked up the letter. The front simply said, “ COUNCILMAN SOKKA” in a scribble. There was no return address. The letter had not even been stamped.

Furrowing his brow, eyes still on the letter, he called to his secretary just outside the door. “Hey, Bo? Did you bring the mail in today?”

“Not yet, Councilman. It hasn’t come in yet.”

“Alright, thanks. Just curious.”

Sokka realized that whoever had left him this letter had been in the building and placed the letter here themselves. ‘Must be from one of the people downstairs or something,’ he thought to himself as he ripped open the yellow envelope.

The handwriting on the inside was sloppy and small, and Sokka could’ve sworn he caught a whiff of smoke on the parchment. His eyes scanned the letter as he read:

_Dear Sir,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health. I’ve got eyes and ears all over this city, so naturally it was only a matter of time until I got word of your endeavors._

_You see, my pockets are hurting, Sir. I’m down on my luck. So when I got word of what was going on with you, my ears perked up a bit. It’s interesting because I could have sworn you were still with that Kyoshi warrior, but I hear you’re sleeping with the chief these days? Interesting._

_You see, that’s the mother of my child who you decided to--”_

“Fuck,” Sokka said out loud, slapping his palm on his forehead as he stopped reading halfway through the letter. He hadn’t been sure who’d sent it until now. The only thing was, how did Kanto know to contact him? He’d only encountered the guy once, and wasn’t particularly fond of the man. He was a member of one of the gangs of the city and had traded information with Toph when he had been in need of money. Though the man had sworn allegiance to a group of criminals, Sokka knew Kanto would do anything he could to get his hands on a couple of bucks, hence his agreement with the chief of police in the first place. She hadn’t planned to fall for him, but Kanto was handsome and clever. The man was charming, but kniving. As far as Sokka was concerned, the only good thing he had done in his life was give the world Lin. Now that Sokka realized who had written this note, he knew he was going to be in trouble.

Sokka continued reading:

_Now Sir, I think you’ve fucked with the wrong man. Toph ain’t my business anymore, but I still like to keep tabs on her from afar. So I’m confused, Sir. I’m sure your girl doesn’t know about this. It would be a shame if she did, don’t you think?_

_It’s no trouble for me to reach out to her at all, you know. I found out how to get to you, didn’t I? I’m surprised, I never pegged you for the cheating type. Or maybe Beifong’s got a hold on you like she did to me, too._

_Unless you send me 10,000 Yuans, I plan on telling your Kyoshi warrior. Poor gal is about to have her heart destroyed. But if you mozy up the cash, I guess I can keep quiet… your choice, Sir. If the price is right, you can keep seeing my whore no problem. But if not, I’m telling your girl the moment she returns to the city._

_Your choice. I’ll be in the alleyway of Walnut Street at midnight on Friday. Good day, Sir._

_-Kanto_

“This is not good,” Sokka said quietly to himself, shoving the letter into his back pocket, “this is definitely not good.” He paced his office for a second, his mind racing as to what he should do next. ‘How did Kanto know all this?’ he said to himself. He knew the guy had connections, but this seemed almost too extensive. The only person who could know what Kanto was up to would be--

“Toph!” He yelled to himself as he bolted out of his office door. He needed to get to her now. He needed to know what she knew.

He didn’t even bother yelling an explanation to Bo as he ran out, and chose to ignore the face of every employee that seemed to question why he was in such a hurry. He needed to ask Toph what was up. He couldn’t help but wonder, was there somehow she knew about this? No, she couldn’t. But he couldn’t make sense of how else Kanto could find him.

He barged through the front doors of the police station, not bothering to answer the receptionist’s, “How are you, Councilman Sokka?” as he ran through. He turned the corner violently and almost nearly fell over Toph’s secretary’s desk. The older woman gazed at him with confusion. “Can I help you, Councilman?” she asked, eyes weary.

Sokka panted out, “Is Toph… in?”. The secretary nodded her head slowly, still confused at the display in front of her. Without questioning any further, Sokka thrust open the doors to her office, slamming them shut behind him.

Toph was seated at her desk, one of her officers to her side seemingly having a discussion about a future operation. The minute she sensed that it was Sokka who had entered her office, the expression on her face changed. Furrowing her brows, she stood up and said, “Fai, you can go now.” The office appeared puzzled. He stood slowly, and saluted her. “Yes, Chief,” he stated as he hurried back out the door, shutting it behind him.

As the door closed behind her officer, Toph crossed her arms across her chest. “You don’t usually barge in here in a hurry. Everything okay, Meathead?”

Sokka shook his head, marching up to her, his breath shaking from fear and rage. “How could you?”

She raised an eyebrow. “How could I what? I’m not following you.”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“No, I really don’t. And I’m not fond of the tone you’re taking with me, either.”

Sokka pulled the letter out of his pocket and shook it once at her, his grip on it tight and unwavering. “This, Toph. It’s a letter.”

She snorted, leaning against her desk. “Oh well, that’s rich, isn’t it? You really think I have any idea what the fuck would be on a let--”

“It’s from Kanto.”

Her eyes widened and she immediately stood straight once more. The dark hairs of her eyebrows laced together in concern as the color seemed to immediately fade from her face. “What?” she asked him, gingerly.

“I found this on my desk when I came in this morning. He knows about us. He wants money or he’s gonna tell Suki and bust this scandal wide open. There’s no indication who it’s from or where it came from on the envelope, so it must have been hand delivered to me. How was he able to get into my office, Toph? How did he find out about us, Toph?”

She blinked a few times, trying to piece together the information she’d just been presented. “No, that’s impossible. There’s no way he could’ve--”

“How, Toph? How did he know about it? How did he get into my office?”. Sokka could feel himself growing impatient, shaking the letter in his hand again and getting even closer to Toph. He could feel heat rising to his face as his anger grew.

“I--I don’t know, Sokka, I have no idea how he could--”

“Answer me! How!?”

She grew frustrated at his outburst, her hands balling up into fists at her sides. “Sokka! I told you! I have no idea!”

“Have you been speaking with him again?! Is he still working for you?!”

She took a step back from him, her face growing into a tight scowl as she raised a finger up to jab it in his chest, her fingers shaking in fury. “Are you suggesting I told him about this? Me?! Sokka, why the hell would I tell Kanto that, of all people?! I haven’t spoken a word to the guy since the day I told him he knocked me up and he left me. And I’m offended you would even think I have something to do with this!”

Sokka’s face fell slightly. He could hear the tone of hurt in her voice at his suggestion. Her words to him stung him as he realized that he may have been out of line to think she would, in fact, do such a thing. “Toph, I’m sorry, I just--”

“I didn’t know about the letter, Sokka! But I know I haven’t told a soul anything! Especially not Kanto! You might not believe it, asshole, but I actually somewhat value our relationship!”

She huffed as she turned away from him, arms crossing once more as she walked back around her desk and plopped down in the chair. Scowling once more, she blew a stray hair out of place as she turned the chair so it faced away from Sokka.

He shuffled in his place for a second as he watched her, reaching to scratch behind his neck. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, the only audible sound being Toph’s enraged breathing.

Sokka spoke once more, breaking the silence. “I’m sorry, Toph. But it doesn’t change the fact that he somehow found out. And he wants money or else it’ll be released.”

“How much?”. Her voice was cold. She continued to face away from him.

“10,000 Yuans. By midnight on Friday.”

“Fuck.”

“Any suggestions?”

She slowly turned the chair back around to face him. Putting her head in her hands, she sighed and replied, “Just give him what he wants.”

Though she couldn’t see it, Sokka’s face portrayed complete confusion. “What?”

“I have the money. My parents are wealthy, Sokka. I’ll give it to you to give him. He’ll never tell Suki, word will never get out, and you can still have me.”

Sokka shook his head, slowly lowering himself to sit in the chair across from Toph at her desk. “We can’t give him money, Toph. It’s wrong.”

“And what we’ve been doing isn’t? I know you still want me, Sokka. I still want you, too. Just give him the money and nobody will ever know.”

Facing an inner turmoil, Sokka let out a sigh. He loved Toph-- both her personality and her body-- and he had so enjoyed his time with her in the past few weeks. But for all his fondness of her, he loved his wife just as much. Paying Kanto would be admitting he was being unfaithful. It would be a way of stating he had no shame for what he had done. He caught himself wishing that he could convince himself he did not want Toph, though he knew there was no way.

Toph sensed his unease and stood up once more, walking over to him and placing a hand tenderly on his shoulder. “It’ll be like nothing ever happened, Sokka. Kanto might be an asshole, but when it comes to making a deal he’s usually pretty sincere. Give him the money and he’ll leave us alone.”

Sighing, Sokka glanced up at Toph. Before he could say anything, she leaned down and passionately kissed him. He found himself lost in her energy, reaffirming how absolutely impossible it would be for him to pretend he was no longer interested in her. He kissed her back, standing up and pushing her against her desk. His hands gripped her hair, his hips pinning her down against the cool metal behind her. She hoisted herself onto the flat surface and wrapped her legs around his waist. His lips moved to her neck and she stifled a moan as he trailed down to her collar bone. She reached for his chin and planted her lips on his once more, the two perfectly content on forgetting about the letter as their passion for one another became palpable.

In between kisses, she panted into his ear, “I want you so badly, Sokka.”

He no sooner replied, “I want you, too.”

\-------------------------------

The street was quiet and dark, the faint glow from the fire-lit street lamps only reaching so far. A stray cat, eyes glowing amber in the black veil of the night, ran across the street and ducked under a street food stand that had closed for the evening. Sokka shivered as walked, hands balled up into fists inside of his coat pockets. He felt a gentle breeze play at the hairs on his neck, the end of his warrior’s wolf tail tousled slightly by the wind.

He rounded the corner and peered at the dark block ahead. Glancing up at the sign, he reaffirmed what he already knew-- it was Walnut Street. As he gazed ahead of himself once more, a figure rounded a corner at the opposite end of the block. The man ahead of Sokka was lanky and tall, his dark, curly hair pulled into a bun. Sokka slowly walked forward as the figure grew closer, until the men were face to face.

Sokka locked eye contact with Kanto, frowning slightly as he did so. In front of him was the man who had caused Toph an incredible amount of anguish, and it would be so easy for him to get payback for her. But he knew what he came to do, and he shouldn’t try his chances with the criminal.

Kanto smirked, his teeth perfectly white though slightly crooked. He rubbed the stubble on his chin, and asked, “So? What’dya got for me?”

Withdrawing his right hand from his jacket pocket, Sokka pulled out an envelope containing the money that Kanto had requested. He held it out to the tall, thin man in front of him, eyes never wavering. Kanto reached out to grab it, a ring on his pinky finger catching a beam of moonlight. He placed the envelope into his own back packet and nodded once, saluting the councilman. “Much obliged, Sir.”

Sokka snorted, taking a step closer to Kanto as he squared him in the eye. He glared down at the man, eyes bearing down into his soul. “Nobody needs to know about this. Do I make myself clear?”

Grinning, almost menacingly, Kanto added, “Crystal, Sir.”


End file.
